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Oakland
Oakland is a collection of 4 of the 90 distinct Pittsburgh neighborhoods (North, Central, South, and West Oakland), considered to be the academic and healthcare nerve center of the city, as well as one of its major cultural centers. The neighborhoods are dominated by the University of Pittsburgh and its facilities, and a number of highly-regarded large hospitals and museums. There is a thriving restaurant scene in Oakland as well, driven largely by its youthful and savvy student population. Although Carnegie Mellon University is commonly thought of as being a part of Oakland due to its proximity, it is officially a part of the adjacent neighborhood of Squirrel Hill North. This is where Camden Kolt went to college, worked, and lived for most of his adult life. History Oakland is a section of the city of Pittsburgh located just to the east of downtown, and was originally settled in response to the Great Fire of 1845, which is now believed to have been caused by an incident involving an underground school of immigrant mages. After the fire, a great number of residents were forced to relocate to a habitable zone outside of the city proper; due to its proximity, the newly-founded borough of Oakland grew rapidly into one of Pittsburgh's first suburban communities. After the borough was annexed to the city of Pittsburgh in 1868, a woman by the name of Mary Schenley gifted the city, and Oakland in particular, with 300 acres of land to be used as a park. Officials purchased another 100 acres from her, prompting yet another gift; further land for Schenley Plaza. It was here that industrialist Andrew Carnegie decided to further gift the city with one of the world's finest libraries, a concert hall, and the world-renowned Carnegie Museum of Natural History, which held the world's first exhibits on the subjects of dinosaurs and Red Matter. At one point Oakland was also the location of Pittsburgh's famous baseball stadium Forbes Field, which held the World Series in 1909, 1925, 1927, and 1960 and was also the site of Babe Ruth's last home run. It was demolished in 1970. Features The neighborhood is chiefly home to the University of Pittsburgh, which occupies most of the Oakland area, its facilities and educational buildings scattered throughout the district. It is responsible for the largest building in Oakland as well; the Cathedral of Learning, a 535 foot tall, 42 story structure that ranks as the tallest educational building in the western hemisphere. Among the neighborhood's many other features are the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum, the nearby Carnegie Mellon University, the many hospitals dotting the district's Cardiac Hill, a collegiate stadium (Petersen Events Center), the Carnegie Library and Carnegie Museum of Natural History (and its associated art museum), and a number of restaurants (including The Original Hot Dog Shop) and shops, sometimes owned and operated by students. Most of the population of the four Oakland districts are comprised of students, and so a large percentage of Oakland's area is composed of apartment and dormitory housing. During Camden Kolt's time at CMU, he lived in one of these apartment units, until his eviction in August of 2027. Category:Pittsburgh